THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 145 



Southward, and become South Eaft, or South South Eaft, it „ ^777- 



December, 



then blows more gently, with a fmooth fea, and is called 

 Maoai. In thofe months, when the fun is nearly vertical, 

 that is, in December and January, the winds and wea- 

 ther are both very variable ; but it frequently blows from 

 Weft Norrh Weft, or North Weft. This wind is what they 

 call Toerou; and is generally attended by dark, cloudy wea- 

 ther, and frequently by rain. It fometimes blows ftrong, 

 though generally moderate ; but feldom lafts longer than 

 five or fix days without interruption ; and is the only wind 

 in which the people of the iflands to leeward come to this, 

 in their canoes. If it happens to be ftill more Northerly, it 

 blows with lefs ftrcngth, and has the difterent appellation 

 of Era-fotaia ; which they feign to be the wife of the Toerou ^ 

 who, according to their mythology, is a male. 



The wind from South Weft, and Weft South Weft, is ftill 

 more frequent than the former ; and though it is, in ge- 

 neral, gentle, and interrupted by calms, or breezes from 

 the Eaftward, yet it fometimes blows in brilk fqualls. The 

 ■weather attending it is commonly dark, cloudy, and rainy, 

 with a clofe, hot air; and often accompanied by a great 

 deal of lightning and thunder. It is called Eton, and often 

 fucceeds the Toerow, as does alfo the Farooci, which is ftill 

 more Southerly ; and, from its violence, blows down houfes 

 and trees, efpecially the cocoa-palms, from their loftinefs ; 

 but it is only of a fhort duration. 



The natives feem not to have a very accurate knowledge 

 of thefe changes, and yet pretend to have drawn fome ge- 

 neral conclufions from their efFefts: for they fay, when the 

 fea has a hollow found, and dafhes flowly on the (hore, or ra- 

 ther on the reef without, that it portends good weather j but, 



if 



